This invention relates to a paperboard carton construction and more particularly to an improved trunk-type folding paperboard carton adapted particularly to carry frozen ice cream, and the like.
Ice cream is commonly packaged for home consumption in trunk-type cartons made from a single, coated paperboard blank having front, bottom, rear and top cover panel together with cover closure flaps in hinged relation to the top cover panel. The carton also has end walls together with overlying inner flaps and embossed and adhesive seals to prevent leakage of the ice cream.
The cover closure flap, sometimes called the front cover panel, and the cover end skirt panels typically have weakened portions to allow the top of the ice cream carton readily to be opened.
It is also typical that only the ends of the cover and skirt panel are glued to the side, thereby producing an opportunity for leakage, particularly if the carton is upside down.
A typical prior art carton is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,165 which issued Sept. 3, 1974 to Steven North Hoiles. It is assigned to American Can Company.
One of the attempts to remedy the problem of sealing at the cover end skirt panel is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,434 which issued Sept. 21, 1976 to Gary Allen Ramich for an "Easy Opening Carton for Comestible" and which is assigned to American Can Company. Instead of gluing the end portions of the end skirt panels to the end walls as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,165, the technique in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,434 is to glue a portion of the outer margin of the cover end skirt panel to the end wall and to provide a weakened or tear line in that panel. Unfortuantely, with the weakened line in the end skirt panel, printing, embossing and date stamping may open the weakened portion and cause the carton to leak.